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History Information

Welcome to the Collections Guide for History at King's College London.

Key classmarks for this area of study are:

  • BL-BX- for Religion and Religious History
  • D- for European and World History
  • E & F- for the History of the Americas
  • HC-HD- for Economic History
  • JC & JN - for Political Theory and Institutions.

Once you know the call number (or classmark) you are looking for, you can use a floor plan to help you find the area of the library to visit. Most books that are relevant to Arts & Humanities are held in the Maughan Library.

Books are organised on the shelves using call numbers (or classmarks). We use the Library of Congress Classification Scheme which creates call numbers (or classmarks) using a series of letters and numbers - eg DD237 PEU.

  • The initial letters denote the general subject area (eg DD denotes the history of Germany)
  • The numbers denote a more specific subject area (eg DD237 denotes general works on the history of Germany post 1918)
  • The final combination of letters and numbers denote the author.

Journals for History

Library Services gives you access to a wide range of journals to support your studies and research.

One of the best known collections of journal articles relevant to the Arts & Humanities is JSTOR, which focuses on older journal articles. There are many other collections which offer more recent articles of a similar academic standard.

You can use Library Search to access an extensive selection of ejournals and print journals. Titles include:

  • Historical Journal
  • Past & Present
  • Transactions of the Royal Historical Society.

Arts & Humanities print journals are held on the ground floor of the Maughan Library. These are reference only and cannot be taken out of the library.

Resources by period: Early Modern

Resources by period: 19th Century

Special Collections

In the Foyle Special Collections Library, please see also our online exhibitions:

Also special collections for history:

  • History Adam Collection
  • HG Adler Collection
  • College Collection
  • Foreign & Commonweatlth Office Historical Collection
  • Glaessner Collection
  • Hamilton Collection
  • Marsden Collection
  • Maurice Collection
  • Miscellaneous Collection
  • Rare Books Collection
  • Rare Journals Collection 
  • Wheatstone Collection

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Here is just one example of an item held in Special Collections on this subject:
Great Britain. Colonial Office. Despatches received from Colonies, etc. reporting on the local celebrations of the coronation of His Majesty King George VI.  London, 1937. Foyle Special Collections Library

Resources by period: Ancient

Resources by period: Medieval

Resources by period: 18th Century

Resources by period: 20th Century to present